Spring clamp



Sept. 15, 1953 A. D. CARPENTER ET AL SPRING CLAMP Filed April 20, 1951 INVENTOR:

A T TRNE'VZ Patented Sept. 15,1953

SPRING CLAMP Arley D. Carpenter, Los Angeles, and John A. Carpenter, North Hollywood, Calif.

Application April 20, 1951, Serial N 0. 222,029

1 Claim.

This invention relates to clamps for clamping cables, electrical conduits, pipe and the like on hanger bars, supported in buildings, ships and elsewhere, and the general object of the invention is to provide a novel spring clamp for detachably clamping cables and the like on such hanger bars, whereby cables and the like may be more readily clamped on a hanger bar or unclamped therefrom without the use of tools.

A more particular object is to provide an improved clamp of the character stated, which is very simple, inexpensive and efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter as this specification progresses.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of two hanger bars supported on brackets, with a cable shown clamped on said hanger bar by my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 1, showing my invention in the act of being applied to the hanger bar and the cable, for detachably clamping the cable on the hanger bar.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals in all of the views, our invention comprises a spring clamp designated I in its entirety formed of a single piece of spring steel wire 2 bent intermediate its ends into a coil spring 3, from the ends of which spring said wire is bent laterally into a pair of arms ii and 5 extending outwardly horizontally from said spring in opposite directions, and from the outer ends of which arms 4 and 5 said wire 2 is bent upwardly into a pair of upstanding vertical arms 6 and I respectively, the upper ends of which vertical arms 5 and I being bent in opposite directions forwardly and backwardly into a pair of hooks 8 and 9 respectively.

My invention is particularly useful for detachably clamping cables I0, electric conduits and pipe on a hanger bar I I, which may be supported at its ends on lugs I2 extending laterally from a vertical bracket I3, secured on a wall or other support. The ends of the hanger bar II may be detachably secured at its ends to lugs I2 on two brackets 13 by means of two screws I4 and two nuts I5 threaded on said screws, which screws extend downwardly through the ends of the hanger bar I I and the bracket lugs I2 on which the ends of the hanger bar rests, with the heads of said screws resting upon the upper side of said hanger bar and the nuts I5 threaded on the lower ends of said screws tightly against the lower sides of said lugs I2. The hanger bar II may be a channel bar formed with an upper horizontal base wall I5 and two vertical side walls I! depending from the side edges, respectively, of said upper horizontal base Wall I6. The hanger disclosed herein including the hanger bar II, the brackets I3 and the screws I4 and nuts I5 for detachably securing the ends of said bar to the lugs I2 of said brackets I3 form the subject matter of my copending application Ser. No. 222,023 of even date, for hanger bracket.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

A cable Ill being extended across the upper side of the upper Wall I8 of the channel hanger bar II, said cable is detachably clamped upon said hanger bar by my spring clamp I, with the clamp spring 3 extending longitudinally of the hanger bar II and engaging the under side of said bar; the spring arms (I and 5 extending laterally from the ends of said spring under the lower edges of the side walls I? of the hanger bar; the vertical arms 6 and 1 extending upwardly from the outer ends of the arms t and 5 over the outer sides of said side walls II of the channel hanger bar II; and with the hooks 8 and 9 extending over the cable I0 in spaced relation and in opposite directions, which hooks are held in firm engagement with said cable under pressure by the coil spring 3 which has a tendency to unwind and draw said hooks downwardly upon the cable II] and said cable upon the hanger bar II. In applying my clamp to a cable and a hanger bar, the cable II] being extended over the hanger bar, one of the hooks 8 is extended over the cable II) with the arm 6, forming the shank of said hook, extending downwardly over a side wall ll of the hanger bar I I; the arm 4 extending inwardly from said arm Ii under the lower edge of said side wall I! of the hanger bar and under the hanger bar to the lower side of the expanded spring 3; with the arm 5 extending from the upper side of the spring against the under side of the upper wall It of the hanger bar, and with the arm I with the hook 9 extending downwardly from the arm 5, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. The arm I being gripped, said arm and hook 9, and the arm 5 are swung counterclockwise winding the spring 3 until the arm 5 is swung outwardly under the lower edge of the other side wall I! of the hanger bar; the arm I is swung upwardly over said side wall, and the hook 9 is swung upwardly over the cable in into engagement with the upper side of said cable, thus clamping the cable on the hanger bar with my clamp, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

We claim:

A spring clamp as disclosed including a single elongated coil spring with its end extensions 'ex-- tending outwardly tangentially therefrom in parallel relation, and bent at right angles in opposite directions toward the spring axis and bent again in planes at right angles to the planes of the extensions and toward the spring forming 1 arcuate cable hooks from the outerends'of said extensions. 7

ARLEY D. "CARPENTER. JOHN A. CARPENTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Gash Apr. 3, 1888 Hawkins Aug. 9, 1904 Sorenson Nov. 8, 1910 Brownlee Dec. 6, 1910 Hul'stedt Apr. 20, 1915 Christensen Apr. 8, 1930 Harpster June 29. 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Sept. 1, 1947 

